


"Your Move."

by Jasmine_Black



Series: Harriet E. L. Potter-verse [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, But fic can absolutely work in canon-verse if Harry's pronouns are changed, Female Harry Potter, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Board of Governors, Original side characters, POV Lucius Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jasmine_Black/pseuds/Jasmine_Black
Summary: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Board of Governors meeting, 13th July 1992or: Dumbledore explains what went wrong with the 1991-1992 Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Series: Harriet E. L. Potter-verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010910
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	"Your Move."

“Next order of business,” Bagnold announced, the enchanted quill and parchment furiously scribbling down his words beside him. “Once again we find ourselves in need of a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I really thought Quirinus was the right man for the job – but apparently not. What happened, Albus?”

The governors all turned in their seats to face the Headmaster sitting at the opposite end of the grand mahogany table.

_This should be good_ , Lucius thought. _What’s the old fool going to come up with this year?_

Unfortunately, the old fool in question happened to catch Lucius’ eye as he rolled them, giving him a pointed and bemused look as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Is there something you’d like to say, Lucius?” Dumbledore asked. The rest of the governors looked at him expectantly.

“Nothing,” he said delicately, flashing a faux smile around the table to prove it. “Nothing, Headmaster.”

Lucius would be lying if he said that the old man didn’t still make him feel like an angry fifteen-year-old – not that he’d ever say it out loud.

“Right… well – as you were saying, Albus?” Bagnold said, shooting Lucius a disapproving look.

He ground his teeth but stayed quiet.

“Yes… It appears that we may have been mistaken in our appointment of Quirinus,” Dumbledore said.

“Why?” Kirke asked.

“But he seemed the perfect candidate!” Chambers piped up. “He’d already taught at Hogwarts – Muggle Studies, if I remember correctly?”

Dumbledore nodded as Lucius scoffed, disguising it in a cough. In his opinion, Muggle Studies barely constituted a job, much less a “discipline” worthy of study alongside sacred subjects such as Transfiguration… even if its teachers were less than admirable.

“He did, indeed, though that was some years ago now,” Dumbledore said, shooting Lucius another look.

“Then whatever was the matter?”

“Perhaps,” Lucius ventured, “Quirinus found Defence Against the Dark Arts a little too difficult to comprehend after his background in _Muggle Studies_?”

“Nonsense – I was in on his interview!” Tolkien argued. “He knew what he was talking about, Lucius. Besides – he went on that Grand Tour of his, didn’t he? I heard he was at Al-Karaouine and the Scholomance for a while.”

Dumbledore nodded, and said gravely, “I’m afraid that was the problem.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You see, it was during those travels of his that he became acquainted with Lord Voldemort.”

The room suddenly became very still and an uneasy silence settled over the governors – all except for Lucius, that was. He leant forward in his seat, placing his elbows on the table, his hands clasped together, and turned to Dumbledore.

“Oh?” he said, trying to sound as concerned as possible.

“Indeed,” Dumbledore said, raising his eyebrows at him pointedly. After a moment, he went on,“It appears that Quirinus met Voldemort somewhere in Eastern Europe… Albania, if my sources are correct. Regardless, he went away a naïve but intelligent man and returned to our shores corrupted. From about last August, it seems, he carried the weakened soul of his master in his own body, during his attempts to get to the Philosopher’s Stone.”

“The – The Philosopher’s Stone?” Ashdown asked.

“I will not bore you with the details, but this Stone is the cornerstone of the alchemical sciences – please forgive me my little joke” – a few of the governors chuckled uneasily – “One of its properties is the ability to make the Elixir of Life, which I assume you will be able to venture a guess as to the effects of such a substance. Voldemort, it seems, wanted the Stone to return himself to a body of his own, and full power – but he failed.”

“Why?”

“Harriet Potter.”

Of course the little brat was involved.

Dumbledore continued.

“Somehow, Harriet managed to catch wind of the fact Voldemort wanted the Stone, and set out to stop him with the help of the youngest of Arthur Weasley’s sons and a Muggleborn girl by the name of Granger… And, in the struggle that occurred down in the chambers that I erected to protect the Stone, and owing to magic even I cannot comprehend, it appears that this effort of Harriet’s culminated in Voldemort fleeing, leaving poor, devoted Quirinus to die.”

The room was silent for several moments.

“And do you know where… You-Know-Who is – now?” Highsmith asked, his face pale at the mention of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore was the only one stupid enough to say his name, after all, though he and everyone else believed him brave.

“Not precisely, no. But I should think one of his old haunts in Eastern Europe is most likely… after all, they did keep him safely hidden for nearly a decade.”

Highsmith nodded, and then Bogle asked, “Is he back?”

Dumbledore sighed deeply, and went quiet for a long moment. At last, he said slowly, “No… I do not believe he is… not properly, anyway. The state in which Harriet encountered him was severely weakened. I think that his bid for the Stone was a one-off… No – Harriet’s actions have shown him that if or when he does plan to return, it will not be as easy as he might have hoped. But we must remain vigilant… no doubt his recent attempt will intrigue those of his followers who remain loyal…” he trailed off with a pointed look at Lucius that said in no uncertain terms, ‘ _Your move_.’

There was a moment of definitive tension that everyone in the room seemed to feel, and then Mayhew coughed loudly, and the conversation moved on.

Lucius was vaguely aware of Pennifold saying he’d have to mention the Dark Lord’s recent activity to Cornelius and that there should be investigations into his old followers, and of the other governors discussing Dumbledore’s own suggested candidate for the vacant teaching position – Gilderoy Lockheart – but he was hardly paying attention.

If the Dark Lord truly was making moves to return to his former glory, then surely the first thing he would do when the time came would be to ask his loyal followers just how loyal they had been in his absence. In all honesty, Lucius had done little to further his work: his attention had largely been devoted to his precious Draco, and keeping the noble Malfoy name out of the mud – they _had_ been unpopular for a while – and in the right circles, poised for the Dark Lord’s return.

And that time was now… with one small problem.

A stupid little girl.

Lucius thought back to his days serving the Dark Lord in person. One particular memory came to mind – the night that the Dark Lord had entrusted him with a piece of his very soul. He’d been instructed to keep it secret and safe until the time was right, at which point it would unleash terror on the mudbloods and blood traitors of Hogwarts with the assistance of a sacrificial victim. It seemed to Lucius as if the time was now, and that he’d finally found her. 

In one fell swoop, he could not only strike fear into the hearts of the Muggleborns who dared to sully the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, but also hasten the return of the Dark Lord… and do away with his greatest rival once and for all.

Girls loved diaries, didn’t they?

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the summary, this can absolutely act as a one-shot fic for the canon-universe in which Harry is a dude, but obviously I wrote this as part of the H.E.L.P.-verse, and as such it ties in to my framing of the plot and characters.


End file.
